Survivors Speak Out: Taking On the ‘Epstein Class’
3/9/20261 hr 14 min
It’s been more than a month since the Justice Department released the latest tranche of files related to its investigation of Jeffrey Epstein — around 3 million in total — yet the fallout shows no sign of slowing down. The release almost certainly wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for survivors who fought for transparency and accountability. In this episode, Kara sits down with three women who're still in that fight: Dani Bensky, Jess Michaels and Liz Stein. Kara, Dani, Jess and Liz talk about how Epstein’s survivors came together after decades of being siloed, who’s helping them in their fight for justice, and who’s standing in the way. They also talk about what the files reveal about the “Epstein Class” and what they says about how power works in this country. Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsDani Bensky· Guest0:00
This has really permeated every single area- Yes ... of society, from the medical industry, the entertainment industry, the arts industry, academia- Tech ... banking and financing, politics, literally everywhere. And powerful people are protected.
Jess Michles· Guest0:17
[upbeat music] It's on.
Kara Swisher· Host0:18
Hi, everyone. From New York Magazine and the Vox Media podcast network, this is On with Kara Swisher, and I'm Kara Swisher. Today, I have a really important episode, important to me, and it should be important to you. I'm talking with three survivors of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse who are fighting for transparency and accountability: Danielle Benski, Jess Michles, and Liz Stein. This is a critically important story. It's about a lot of things. At the heart, it's about a crime. It's about a sex crime. It's about sex trafficking. It's about the abuse of power. It's about the abuse of young women. It's about misogyny. It's about power in America and how it is used and abused. It's a critically important issue, and it's at the heart of so much that's going on today. I know people have read and listened to a lot about the Epstein files. A lot of it has gotten z- sucked into conspiracy, but at the heart of it is about the women who were abused at young ages by Jeffrey Epstein and the repercussions of it and people who were involved that have gotten off. No one has been exonerated here. Let me be clear. I don't care what President Trump says;